CrossFit is an extremely efficient and effective way to get into world-class shape. Our workouts consist of constantly varied, functional movements (like pushups and pullups, deadlifts and squats, gymnastics, kettlebells, running, rowing, and olympic lifting), executed at high intensity in a group setting. Essentially, a fun, friendly, yet high-intensity workout mixed with weights.

Totally understandable question and the answer is absolutely not! EVERYONE starts somewhere. It is a common misconception that in order to start and incorporate CrossFit into your fitness plan you must be a totally fit/buff/abs-blazin/muscle-bound individual. That’s simply not true. Our coaches are very familiar with scaling the workouts to a wide variety of fitness levels and abilities. People of all fitness and experience levels have walked into CrossFit Teneo and gotten a good workout, enjoyed themselves without embarrassment, and lived to tell the tale. 😉

Another great point to note is that many of our members had the same apprehensions you do! So you are definitely not alone in those feelings. Also, our members are always willing to chat with you about their experiences as well as help support and cheer you on along your way!

I’d have to say that depends on what your goals are and how quickly you want to achieve them.
A more straightforward answer would be that for beginners, we recommend you come 2-3 days a week minimum. After you find your cardiovascular conditioning improving, you get stronger, and your body becomes better at recovery, I dare you to try and stay away. ???? Many of our members average 4-6 days per week. Fitness is a lifestyle. And humans were meant to move every day. Also, I guarantee after you see the results you get from the training we provide, you’ll stop thinking “how often do I have to come?” and start thinking “how will I get my workout in today?” and “I wish the box was open on Sunday!”

4. What should I expect during my first day of class? First week? First couple months?

For your first day of class, you can expect butterflies and high fives. At the very least, you can say you tried something new and have a fun and challenging workout. At best, you can expect to find the method in which you are about to change your life and a new family to go along with it to help support you along the way.
Day one you should try to arrive at least 10 minutes early to class to get situated, fill out the waiver and chat with your coach prior to class start. Classes begin on time and start with a warm up and some mobility work which you will go through with the rest of the class. After that, you can then expect to learn some skill work, participate in a strength session or maybe head right into the WOD, depending on the program for that day. Classes are always run and guided by your coach. All you need to bring is a positive attitude, gym shoes and some comfortable workout clothing.

Your first week will bring you a different workout every day. Each session is different. You can expect to be sore in places you didn’t know you had, but know that this not only goes away after a couple days, but will lessen over time as your body grows stronger and more mobile than you may have ever been in your life.

In your first few months, you can start to expect to see improvements in your workouts. You’ll be getting more comfortable with the environment, the other members and start remembering some of the movements and what they’re called without having to ask anymore. Even cooler, you’ll start to notice you’re getting a little closer to correct form on your lifts, techniques are starting to make sense, and even in that short time, you will see strength gains, better mobility, and weight loss (if that is a goal) as well!

5. Planet Fitness charges $99 a year. Why would I pay more than that each month to come to CrossFit Teneo?

Short answer – if you walk in a gym like PF, Anytime, LA, etc; you’re merely paying to lease their equipment from them for the time you’re in there. Period.
Walking into and becoming a member at CrossFit Teneo, you’re paying for TRAINING. A program. A certified coach. You’re getting instruction on exactly what to do every day, a qualified set of eyes to ensure your safety (and effectiveness) while you’re doing it, and our program WORKS.

Long answer – At CrossFit Teneo, we care. Honestly. As a member you get a progressive program and a class run by a certified coach – EVERY DAY. Our programming is created by personal trainers with a combined knowledge base of over 17 years experience in getting people to reach and exceed their health and fitness goals. (Whether that’s weightloss, strength building, general fitness, etc.). How often have you walked into the gym and not known what to do? (What movements. How many of them. How many sets or repetitions of each. At what weight. With how much rest.) How many times have you started a fitness program only to not reach the goal you set for yourself or to revert back to old habits after losing interest? These are non-issues when you have a science-based program to follow and coaches whose main focus is to keep you safe, motivated, and successfully moving toward a better lifestyle every day.

Also, CrossFit Teneo (and many CrossFit boxes!) are built on the idea of support and community. It has been proven many times through different studies that those starting a fitness program are much more likely to adhere to it and continue with it long term when they have a solid support circle around them. That comes built-in at Teneo.

6. I’m in my first month of training and I’m sooo sore! What is the deal?? And what can I do to fix it?

Welcome to the club! Changing your body’s composition (losing fat, building muscle, increasing endurance, etc.) is hard work. Muscle is built literally by the body tearing and repairing muscle fibers. (This isn’t a CrossFit thing. This is a biological thing. It’s the only way to get lean and build strength.) There is a perfectly normal amount of discomfort or even pain that is associated with this process.

Bad news: it happens to everyone. And it’s not super fun.

Good news: it only ever lasts a few days at most. The severity of the feeling lessens over time as you get stronger.

Make sure you talk to your coach about any aches and pains you have. If you’re absolutely too sore to do a particular movement on any given day, a different movement can be prescribed. Your coach will also have suggestions on different stretches, foam rolling techniques or mobility work that can improve the feeling and help to lessen the issue for next time. Honestly, the best way to feel better is take it easy in the beginning and do SOMEthing every day. The more you sit or stay immobile, even when you’re sore, the worse you will feel.

In general, you should be making sure you’re drinking plenty of water (between 80 & 120 oz per day, perhaps more if you’ve worked out), getting plenty of protein in to help your body repair and build its muscle fibers (preferably from animal sources and at approximately 1g per 1lb of lean body mass you have per day). You might also want to add a fish oil supplement to your diet.

Your membership allows for this – yes – but would you want to? – No. Two reasons:
You should find each class challenging enough so that you would not want/be able to attend another session in that day. If you don’t find that to be true, you’re not pushing hard enough during your workouts.

Classes are different day-to-day, but within a day, sessions are the same. Our first class of the day is the same program as our last class of the day. We create the programming so that you should be able to attend everyday, but not more than that.

Exception: we do offer different classes which are included in your membership. Yoga, Barbell, CrossCamp – these can all be added to your routine as a complement to your normal CrossFit class schedule.

8. AMRAP, EMOM, OLY, WOD….what do all these abbreviations mean?

CrossFit “Lingo” can be confusing sometimes. Here are some of the most used terms you will see at the typical CrossFit Box.
Box: a CrossFit gym. Many of the early CrossFit locations (and many still) are very basic or industrial style buildings which are essentially four walls and minimal equipment. Hence the image of “the box”.

WOD: the CrossFit “workout of the day”

The Whiteboard: the board the WOD is written on. Every box you go to will have some kind of central location where the workout is written up for all to see as well as any pertinent notes you should pay attention to.

The “Girls”: a group of benchmark WODs used as a standard, from time to time, to test an athlete’s progress. They are named after women much like ships…or brutal storms. See a list of some here: CrossFit Girl WOD’s

Hero WODs: a long list of (usually) very difficult WODs that were created for and are done in honor of a fallen hero. The most common example we know of is many boxes do “Murph” on Memorial Day. See a list of them here: CrossFit Hero WOD’s

AMRAP: a WOD where you complete “As Many Reps (or Rounds) As Possible” within a given timeframe. It’s a way of structuring a CrossFit WOD. Your score is how many reps/rounds you were able to complete in the given time.

EMOM: a WOD where you will do a movement (or set of movements) “Every Minute On the Minute” for a set number of minutes. Another way of structuring a CrossFit WOD, your score will usually be how many rounds you got through as prescribed, or simply a “complete”.

RFT: a WOD where you will complete a set number of “Rounds For Time”. These WODs are usually done quickly and your score is the time in which you complete the work.

Metcon: stands for Metabolic Conditioning. It is a longer style WOD, usually AMRAP style, and is typically comprised of more body weight or gymnastic movements (rather than barbells).

Chipper: another WOD style where the CrossFitter “chips” away at it to complete. It is generally longer, and comprised of multiple sets of multiple reps of different movements. Score is usually “for time”.

RX: when an athlete performs the WOD with exactly the movements and weights as prescribed on the board, he/she can say they RX’ed it. CrossFit is accessible to so many people because the workouts can be scaled to meet almost any fitness level. However, as an athlete improves, one of the coolest “firsts” in the CrossFit community is when a member is able to “RX” their first WOD. Very cool.

Scaled: scaling a workout is to modify it in a way so that the participants can perform the WOD at a fitness and intensity level that is relative to their current ability. No one starts out amazing. And no one is expected to RX all workouts. No one. Scaling is used frequently. Your coach will recommend the ways in which you will scale a workout, whether it’s dropping the weight used or modifying a movement. For your safety and best interests, your coach will always have the final say in whether you’re allowed to RX a workout or if you should scale and how.

Oly: stands for Olympic and refers to the Olympic weightlifting movements, the Clean and Jerk and the Snatch.

PR: stands for “Personal Record”. Also sometimes called personal best. It is a celebratory moment for every athlete and CrossFitter when they hit a new record for themselves in their fitness journey. (Examples of a PR would be reaching a new & heavier weight on a lift, or increasing the number of consecutive repetitions one is able to perform for a movement such as pullups or double unders.)

BSQ, FSQ, PP, DU, HSPU, etc.: there are many additional abbreviations you’ll see on the whiteboard over time. Once you’re familiar with the movements, they are pretty easy to decipher, but as they come up, we encourage you to ask what they are if you don’t already know. Some common examples we use:

No matter where you’re at in your fitness journey, CrossFit Teneo is here to help you take it to the next level.
Come in and try it out for a class and you’ll understand why our members look forward to coming here every day!